There are plenty of gimmicks within smartphone technology - all the way from curved screens to the ever-increasing power of cameras.

While most of these features we can take or leave, one thing everybody can agree on is this: we all want to know what a bendy smartphone would look and feel like.

Well, we're now closer than ever to finding out just how many times we can distract ourselves with its flexibility before it gets tiresome. That's after electronic giant Panasonic revealed a new flexible lithium-ion battery unit that could soon play a deciding role in the production of bendable devices.

Well, essentially, the company's battery can be bent around a thousand times while still maintaining 99 per cent of its charge. Previously, concerns over the fluid leaking had held back any kind of flexible battery from featuring in smart devices.

With that said, we're still some way from this being offered in our next iPhone or Samsung Galaxy. The batteries are currently only capable of between 17mAh and 60mAh of power, a fraction of what's currently housed inside our phones.

Right now, Panasonic suggests bendy batteries are practical for gadgets such as smart clothing, card devices, devices attached to the human body and wristband wearable devices.

Other electronics companies will likely be working to create a more powerful alternative that can one day be housed within a phone/wearable hybrid, but for now we'll all just have to make do with our rigid, boring devices.